Home at Last
by Emalyn Honeyticket
Summary: When Legolas left for his quest for the ring, little did he know how missed he was. His best childhood friend, Emalyn, thought of him as more than a friend. When he returns to Rivendell a year later, will he feel the same way?
1. Chapter One

Emalyn looked on towards the gate of Rivendell; the entrance to the place where she has lived for almost 3000 years. Legolas walked, almost glided out the doorway following eight other beings; four hobbits, two men, a wizard, and a dwarf. He turned around to face his people, and gallantly waved, a full pack of arrows on his back and his bow across his chest. Before he turned away for the last time, his amazing blue eyes met Emalyn's and he winked and smiled a bit.   
  
Watching Legolas leave tore her up inside, and Emalyn was experiencing this for probably the tenth time since he had left more than a year ago.   
  
Emalyn opened her misty green eyes and sighed. She had been dreaming about him again. Rolling out of her large feather bed that was beautifully crafted, she looked into a tall mirror in her room. The edges were crafted of the finest elven wood, and the mirror's center rippled until her clear figure appeared inside of it. She had long, very dark brown hair that was incredibly soft and straight, with intense, misty green eyes. She was wearing a long, green dress that was pretty comfortable.  
  
Legolas had been her best friend since forever… literally. But lately, in the past couple of years, well, Legolas has changed. He became more into his archery and they spent less time together. It only took that time apart from Legolas for Emeril to realize that she admired him as more than just a friend.  
  
About a month after Legolas had left on his quest, Emalyn found a bow that she had carved. She intended to give it to Legolas as a gift, but once he had left, she decided to try it out herself. Now she was very experienced and has incredible aim. She had dreamed every night that Legolas would come back and she could tell him how she felt, as well as show him what she had learned, but that day had never come.  
  
Her eyes parted from her reflection to her bow, which was very tall and flexible, but strong. If only Legolas had been there to watch her learn and practice. Nonetheless, she abandoned her depressed thoughts and grasped the bow in her hand. She grabbed a backpack filled with elven arrows and swung it over her shoulder.   
  
She swiftly walked outside into the beautiful forests of Rivendell, and into a little clearing where she would practice her archery. Emalyn strung her bow and quickly shot a few arrows at a target that she had also carved. When she wasn't handling her bow, she was carving. Once she had fired a couple of arrows, she heard a horn blowing from the center of town, which wasn't that far away. She rested the bow on a bench, dropped her arrows, and ran to see what was happening.  
  
After running to see what was up, she noticed a huge clapping crowd, but couldn't see what they were so excited about. She tried to push her way through, but it didn't work too well. Sighing, she turned and walked into a café in town.  
  
Emalyn sat down in a small table by the window and sipped a cup of cocoa. She sighed and closed her eyes for a few seconds. When she opened them, she nearly screamed when she saw two beautiful blue eyes staring directly into hers. I must be dreaming, she thought. Legolas was standing right there in front of her.  
  
"Legolas?" Emalyn said, not believing that he was there at all.  
  
"How are you, Emmy?" He said charmingly, and immediately wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. She felt a tear fall from her eye and squeezed him tightly to her. When they finally let go, she looked at him.  
  
"You look… different." She said.  
  
"I've been through a lot. It's been more than a year and I can't tell you how much I've missed my best friend!" he laughed and smiled a huge grin. Emalyn smiled back. She didn't know why she was being so shy, but she hadn't seen him in so long. He had looked different than when he left.  
  
"I have something to show you!" Emalyn said. She quickly walked out of the café and he followed her. Once they had reached her clearing in the woods, he looked around in awe.  
  
"I found it after you left; isn't it beautiful?" Emalyn asked.  
  
Legolas looked around and nodded, then his gaze caught Emalyn's bow, which was leaned up against a bench, "You carved this, didn't you?" He slid his hand up it, feeling every crease.  
  
Emalyn nodded, "I've been practicing too."  
  
"Are you any good?" he gazed up at her with a playful gleam in his eye.  
  
She giggled and picked up her bow. She fired an arrow at a tree and it stuck right in the center of a knot.  
  
"Wow. How long have you been working on that?" he asked with a look of shock on his face. It had taken Legolas most of his 3000 year life to perfect his aim.  
  
"A little over a year" she grinned at him.   
  
He laughed, and soon she joined him.  
  
"I still can't believe you're home," she said quietly. He walked over to her and smiled.  
  
"I missed you a lot. None of the other guys were like you at all, they weren't much fun. I'm glad to be back," he smiled, and then shoved her playfully when she didn't respond.  
  
"Hey!" she shoved him back, and he laughed. Emalyn had really missed his laugh.  
  
"So, are you going to show me what you've got or are you just going to watch me?" Legolas said, raising an eyebrow. He pulled out his bow in a split second and Emalyn laughed.  
  
"You're on," she got her bow ready as well. For a while they argued over whose aim was better and used up a bunch of arrows. During the time they spent together, Emalyn couldn't help but wonder if he thought about her like she had thought about him. 


	2. Chapter Two

"Excuse me Mr. Greenleaf; it's time for your interview for the paper!" A little old woman elf interrupted with a high-pitched voice. She had just appeared from behind a tree, and was holding a clipboard. Legolas groaned and sighed.  
  
"Right now?" he said, glancing at the woman and then at Emalyn, who smiled a little.  
  
"You bet," she said, sounding like a balloon with the air slowly being squeezed out of it. He rolled his eyes and sighed.  
  
"Okay. Be right there." Legolas tightly hugged Emalyn again, and then held her by the shoulders; "I'm so sorry I have to go, but I'll come back and visit again, okay?" he smiled. Emalyn noted at how amazingly blue his eyes were.  
  
"Yeah, it's fine," she said quietly. His smile got wider and he ruffled up her hair with his hand before walking off with his bow. She laughed silently, and then felt a warm glow in her heart. He had finally returned to her, and spent a whole afternoon just with her. At the time, nothing made her happier.   
  
Emalyn picked up her bow, and felt the creases carved in it the way that Legolas had done earlier and softly closed her eyes. She took in the moment, and then began to walk back to her room.  
  
ONE WEEK LATER  
  
As a tear dripped from her eye, Emalyn lay in bed. She didn't know why she was so depressed. Finally, after more than a year of waiting, Legolas had come back to her, but she was still depressed. She hadn't talked to him at all since last week when he had first arrived. She'd seen him surrounded by the press, and even in the papers, but he hadn't said anything to her all week.  
  
'He's a hero now, he's too busy for me,' she couldn't help but think, but it only brought more tears.  
  
For her, it felt even worse that he was actually home but not with her than for him to be away. She felt like he was ignoring her; that he had grown too important for his best friend, and that killed her. She put her face into her pillow and painfully shut her tear-filled eyes.  
  
Meanwhile, Legolas was having pictures taken of him for a newspaper article.   
  
"Break!" the photographer said, and Legolas put down his bow and arrow. He walked over to get a drink of water, and saw one of his friends nearby.  
  
"Hey Raedan." Legolas said, taking a sip of water.  
  
"Hey, so how have things been going with Emalyn? She missed you a lot when you were gone," Raedan said, giving Legolas a glare.  
  
"Well I haven't seen her that much lately, I guess… with the press and all," he said, feeling a little guilty.  
  
"She's been really depressed lately. Maybe it's too much for her, you know? She won't talk to anyone and really hasn't been herself," Raedan took a sip of water as well.  
  
Legolas felt a stabbing pain, "Man, I feel horrible, you know? I should talk to her,"  
  
Raedan patted him on the back and smiled, "Thanks, she was beginning to make me upset too," He walked off, when they called Legolas again. He walked over to the photographer, but he couldn't get Emalyn out of his mind.  
  
Later that day, as soon as Legolas was done working, he stopped by the clearing that Emalyn had showed him. Surely enough, he saw her with her head lowered, sitting on the bench.  
  
"I just wanted to say I'm sorry," he spoke up. She turned around, saw him, and turned back quickly. The few seconds that he saw her face, he could see that she was crying. It felt like someone stabbed a knife into his stomach.  
  
He walked over to her and sat on the bench next to her. He peered up into her misty green eyes and said quietly, "Can you tell me what's wrong, Emmy?" She stared into his eyes for a second, as if she was thinking, and then looked back down at the ground. Emalyn closed her eyes, and nodded, but she still couldn't look at him. Every time she did, she only experienced more pain. She was deathly afraid of how much he was hurting her.  
  
Legolas tried very hard to stay calm, but he was too frustrated. Without talking at all, he just got up and left quietly, to think. As he ran out of the forest, Emalyn watched him go, and began to cry silently.  
  
As the days went by, Legolas went on with his life. He couldn't help but feel terrible that she was so upset, and it was eating away at him whether he wanted it to or not. Every time he saw her passing, he got a sharp pain in his stomach, to the point where he was worried. He needed advice, so he went to one person who had helped him before.  
  
"Raedan, I need your help," Legolas said, sneaking up on his friend.  
  
Raedan was a smaller elf, and he wasn't much of a warrior. However, Legolas always knew to come to him for help.  
  
"What's bothering you, Legolas?" he said, giving Legolas his complete attention.  
  
"Every time I see Emalyn, I get pains in my stomach, especially if she looks really upset," he looked at Raedan, who was blankly staring back, "I mean; all of the time."  
  
"Easy," he replied simply, as if it really was that easy.  
  
"What's easy?"  
  
"You like her" Raedan smiled and winked at Legolas.  
  
"Of course I like her, she's my best fr-" Raedan was giving him that look, "No, we've been nothing more than friends for our whole lives."   
  
"Legolas, you should listen to your heart, it's doing you a favor. You two have been apart for too long, and now you're feeling her pain. It's go to be love, and you know it." Raedan said, and he walked away, not wanting Legolas to respond.  
  
Legolas thought for a minute, 'Do I?' he asked himself. He looked up and walked out of the door. There was something that he knew he had to do. 


	3. Chapter Three

Legolas wandered into the clearing where he usually found Emalyn, and saw that she was practicing with her bow. She was also looking very depressed. He slowly walked over to her, his head turned down, but his eyes were fixed on her.   
  
She saw him coming, but looked back down at the ground immediately when their eyes met for a split second. She couldn't look at him; it would only make her suffering worse. He kept walking closer, and tried to stand right in front of her. When they faced each other, she turned away a little.  
  
"Can I talk to you, please?" he said quietly, looking at her with longing eyes and raising his eyebrows a little bit. She nodded, put her bow down, and faced him. However, she still couldn't look him in the eye. He was a little frustrated by this, but talked to her anyway, hoping that it would help.  
  
"I've been thinking a lot lately- about you," his voice got a little quieter, "I feel absolutely horrible; it kills me to see you like this" his eyes became a little wet because he was on the verge of tears.  
  
She nodded, but didn't look him in the eye. As he talked to her softly, his light blue eyes were constantly trying to meet with hers, but she simply wouldn't allow it. Legolas wasn't going to give up this easily, so he continued to talk to her.  
  
"I feel so empty, not talking to you. I never wanted to get so absorbed in my work but it happened and I'm so sorry," his eyes started tearing a little more, and he reached out and put his hand on her cheek, caressing it softly. The contact made Emalyn's eyes tear up a little.  
  
"When I saw you today, looking so depressed, it made me want to cry…" a single tear dripped down his face, and he looked down at the ground in embarrassment.  
  
It was then that Emalyn gathered up all of her strength and looked up into his eyes… and when they met, she didn't look back down. Emalyn's bloodshot eyes were calling out for him; she had been so lost without his eyes to guide her.  
  
Legolas' head was swimming with emotions, and Emalyn could see it in his eyes. Without even thinking, Legolas guided her head forward with his hand and leaned in, pressing his lips firmly to hers.  
  
Emalyn was a bit surprised by this, but she let her eyes close and pressed back. It felt like butterflies were flying through his mouth, into hers, and filling her whole body with an intense feeling that she hadn't experienced before. Legolas swiped his tongue across her lips lightly every once in a while, and Emalyn just stood there, tasting him and loving it.   
  
Soon she reached up and took his hand in hers, and he took it. Legolas wanted her close to him and he'd gotten his wish. He was holding back just so he could enjoy her while it lasted. After what seemed like an hour, Legolas rubbed her hand with his thumb and gently pulled away. She tasted him one last time before he did, and smiled slightly, a look of content on her face that she hadn't experienced in weeks.  
  
He gazed into her eyes, a smile across his lips, and they just stared into each others eyes for a moment. After a minute or so, Emalyn pulled Legolas by the hand over to the bench and the two of them sat down.   
  
"I'm really sorry I…" Legolas began to speak, but Emalyn covered his mouth with her hand. She wrapped both of her arms around Legolas' middle and snuggled up to him with her head on his chest. He wrapped his arm around her and smiled.  
  
They enjoyed each other's company for a while, until Legolas loosened his grip on her for a little bit. He was happy to see that she did not loosen her grip, and that she did like him back. Either that or she really needed someone and he just happened to be there. Either way, he was very glad to be making her feel better.   
  
He rubbed her arm with his hand up and down and tenderly kissed the top of her head for a few seconds while closing his eyes. Emalyn didn't want to be anywhere but there in his arms.  
  
She looked up into his light blue eyes, and smiled, as she whispered, "I want to kiss you again."  
  
His face distorted into a wide smile and he brought his lips back to hers again. This time, Emalyn was a little more responsive. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him harder to her. His arms slid down to lightly rest on her waist, and they kissed for a few seconds. When they pulled apart, Emalyn looked up at him.  
  
"What made you…. You know, kiss me?" she asked curiously.  
  
Legolas laughed a little, "A friend helped me realize what I really needed."  
  
"And what is that?" she playfully raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Arwen," He smiled, as she looked at him in disbelief, "No you, silly, who else???" He laughed, and she let go of him, laughing back.   
  
"Hey!" She shoved him playfully.  
  
He smiled genuinely and brought his hand up to her cheek, rubbing off the dried tears that had fallen there moments ago. She looked back into his eyes, and again, it was as if he was sending butterflies through her body. 


End file.
